The Thief and the Sea
by AvengerEm
Summary: Young Keith is a crew member of the Princess's royal service that protects the island nation of Altea by posing as thieves. When rough seas hit and Keith is thrown overboard, he is saved by an unlikely ally. This ally becomes obsessed with meeting the boy that fell from the sky land and into the sea. An unrequited love affair ensues when Keith is found by his unexpected savior.
1. Beginnings

_**Seven Years Ago**_

On an island nation, called Altea, thievery was a severe issue, what with all the imports and exports that went through to port. It was such an issue, that Princess Allura, leader of Altea, had her own private force of "thieves" that would hide out amongst the _Galra_ , a ruthless band of pirates that would constantly attack ships treading the waters around Altea. The private force was called "The Blade of Mamora," a ragtag group of ex-Galra that had abandoned their illegal ways and became a part of Allura's army to get a better life for themselves that were each marked with the same symbol to represent their status as the Princess's selection of defenders.

Keith, an 11-year-old prodigy of the Blade of Mamora, was a part of that crew under the watch and protection of Takashi Shirogane, a 19-year-old servant of Allura. The last ships of before the stormy season were due to be coming in throughout the month; Altea, unfortunately, was always victim to a stormy season that would prevent any and all vessels from even approaching and/or leaving the island. Any resources and goods that could be brought to the island Keith was currently on his way to help with some of the last scouting missions before all the boats had to be locked up for the next three months.

That day was an absolute bore; there were no pirates which meant no action whatsoever. That is, until storm clouds began to roll in and the sea became rough. Storm season seemed to have come early that year and would be more aggressive than ever. The rains were merciless and the winds became so strong that they tore the sails on the boat. The crew was running about, struggling to get the ship back under control. Keith followed Shiro closely, listening to each order and doing his best to keep up. Within a matter of minutes, the storm was vicious and had struck the hull, splitting it into two. The two boys got separated upon the split. The side of the boat Keith had been on tipped over and the boy fell into the sea. Keith hit the water with such an impact that he became unconscious. He sunk deeper and deeper into the ocean as the storm raged on.

They say that the most unexplored part of the world is the the ocean, and it is said that great things can come from unexpected places. A young group of merpeople ventured toward the surface to see what the sky looked like during a storm. Led by young Lance, an adventurous 10-year-old merman and son of his village's leader, he and two of his friends went on the adventure of a lifetime.

"Are you sure about this, Lance? We're not really supposed to be doing this… What if our parents find out?!" Hunk, the oldest at 12, fretted as they swam towards the surface.

Pidge looked at Hunk with a raised eyebrow. "Honestly, you can't spend your life scared of everything." The 7-year-old was clever, but allowed herself to be dragged along since the other children didn't nearly peak her interests.

Lance smirked. "She's right, you know. You can't always be such a guppy!" He stuck his tongue out and jetted ahead of the others, giggling up a storm. Lance stopped in his tracks as he saw something drifting in the water. "What's that…" Swimming closer, Lance nearly screamed. "It's a person from the Sky Land!"

"What?!" The other two said in unison.

"He needs help!" Lance rushed to grab Keith, with Hunk and Pidge in tow.

The three of them got a hold of the thief boy and began swimming towards the closest land body. Hunk was stressing the entire way about whether or not they should be doing this, and wasn't it against the laws to interact with the Sky people. It was, but that could be put aside to save a life; at least it could be in Lance's eyes. The young mermen and mermaid pulled the boy all the way to the Altean shore before retreating to the ocean. Before leaving though, Lance took note of the mark on the boy and eventually carved the symbol into a pearl to assure he'd always be reminded of the day he saved the boy from the sky.

Minutes later, Keith's lungs contracted and forced the water out of them in a coughing fit. The boy slowly sat up with a groan, holding his head. Shiro, as well as a few other crew members, had survived and made it back to shore. The teen was sprinting across the shore, looking for his young ward. The relief in his eyes as he saw Keith was immense; he pulled the boy into an embrace, holding him tightly.

"Are you okay? You could have gotten killed!" Shiro yelled at the boy in a concerned tone, but Keith was too weak to answer and just held on tightly to the older male. Gently, Shiro picked him up, and as they walked toward the pier and town, Keith could have sworn he saw a blue fin just above the water as something dove down.


	2. Strong Leader ---I Have to Find Him!

_**Today**_

The sounds of blades clashing filled the courtyard of the Castle of Lions as the men in the Blade of Marmora sparred to keep their skills sharp, no pun intended. They were all masters at dueling, but none could wield a blade quite like Keith; he was the pride and joy of the Altean guard. Keith grinned as he beat yet another one of his peers in a match. He went to get some water and rest while he waited for the next bout of courage from his peers as Shiro walked over to him.

"You've really improved, Keith. I'm proud of you." Shiro mused. "I remember the stubborn little kid that would get frustrated when his blade would slip of of his hands and the kid that miraculously survived that ship wreck. Where'd the time go?"

Keith smirked. "That was years ago. Now I'm leading my own crew and the top guard. Didn't think I'd get this far, did you?"

Shiro shook his head and began to walk away. "Whatever you say, Keith." He chuckled to himself.

Keith had healed since the wreck he experienced as a child and was now leading his own division of the Blade of Marmora. Keith could not be doing more well than he was now. Now, he and Shiro were equals under the Princess and Keith had caught hundreds and hundreds of scoundrels that would have robbed Altea blind. Every now and again, he'd head back to the beach that he had luckily washed upon after the storm. He was very lucky to be alive, there was now denying that, but he could not get the idea of that strange creature he had seen diving back down into the depths as Shiro carried him back to the town seven years ago.

Speaking of that strange creature, Lance was coming of age in his village and was a key to a period of peace between two rival groups. Today would be the day he'd marry the two together, quite literally. Lance was to be wed to Queen Luxia, the leader of a band of manipulative merpeople. The boy was adorned in gorgeous shells and jewels in preparation for the ceremony. He was in his room playing with the pearl he had engraved as a child and found himself smiling when he looked it over. There was a knock at his door, and he quickly hid the pearl.

"Y-Yes?" He said in a panicked tone. Hunk and Pidge entered his quarters with huge grins upon their faces.

"Hey, man! It's the big day! You get married and become a hero for joining the two enemies!" Hunk said a bit too cheerfully.

Lance seemed to turn away as Pidge went and settled down next to him. "It isn't all that bad. They could make you a slave rather than having you become one of their political leaders." She said nonchalantly.

"Yeah… Sure. Sounds fantastic." Lance said in response. "I've got a lot on my mind. I'm getting married to a woman I hardly know, I'll have to move to her village, and I never found out anything else about that boy we saved…" He huffed.

"This again, Lance? It's no use to keep dwelling on it. That kid's probably moved on from that by now. It has been seven years." Hunk offered.

"Maybe you're right… but I can't help but feel like it was destined for us to at least meet, Hunk." Lance looked miserable.

"C'mon, Lance… you met, remember? We saved him." Pidge looked at Lance with a look of disbelief.

"You know that's not what I meant!" Lance shouted at Pidge as he darted out of his room and out into the open ocean.

"Where are you going?!" Hunk and Pidge both exclaimed.

"To find him!"

"But you're supposed to get married in just a few hours, Lance! You can't just swim off like that! What about Luxia?!" Hunk yelled at the soon-to-be-prince.

"I'll be back in time! Don't worry!"

And with that, Lance was fiercely treading the waters to make his way to Altea and meet the mystery boy from the Sky land.


	3. Nice to See You Again!

Lance was swimming as fast as his tail would allow him to as Hunk and Pidge struggled to keep up with him. He clutched the carved pearl tightly in his hand as his heart raced. Meanwhile, his two friends were getting quite sick of his behaviors, Hunk especially, since he was the closest to Lance and had known him the longest. All this is to say that Lance has always been like this.

"Lance! You can't be serious! If this wedding doesn't go over well, Luxia's people are going to destroy our village!" Hunk yelled in an attempt to convince Lance to come back. It will be your fault then!"

Lance paused for a moment as the other two swam right past him, not yet realizing he had stopped. The turned around and swam back to him. "I-it would be my fault… But I can't just let this go. This is my last real chance to do this before I'm stuck on some pedestal like a trophy. I have to do this now. I might not ever get the chance to do this again…" Lance looked at Pidge and Hunk with a sullen look upon his face.

"Look… I know you really want to see this guy, but-" Pidge started.

Hunk tried not to let the face bother him, then proceeded to huff and cross his arms as he let Lance get to him. "Fine! But if we don't find him in the next hour you give this up!"

Lance's eyes lit up as he turned around and continued his hurry for the shore. He felt his heart in his throat as they got closer and closer to the beach. This was his chance to meet the boy before he was married off as an act of peace and moved even further away from Altea. Soon, Lance had reached the shore, but hesitated to go look.

"What's wrong now, Lance?" Pidge groaned, rolling her eyes.

"What if he isn't there? What if I did just waste our time?" Lance asked, looking back at his friends.

Hunk swam over and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "We won't know until you try, Lance… What's the harm in checking?" Lance knew the harm in checking, but he decided not to say anything as he swam up, leaving Hunk and Pidge below the waves.

Keith had just completed his training and was taking a well-deserved break after almost three hours of sword duels. He walked into the city that surrounded the castle of lions with a grin as the people seemed to be going about their daily lives. Children were running in the streets as they screamed and played, merchants were hollering and trying to sell their wares, and the bakery smelled wonderful, as did many of the other food joints around the town. It seemed like a perfectly normal day, kind of like the way the day was when the wreck happened. For old times' sake, Keith went down to the beach he had washed up on and sat on the sand. Every now and again he would return to the beach to see if that strange creature was there, but each time he did, there was nothing but the usual fish that inhabited the area.

Keith looked into the water and let out a sigh of relief and relaxation as he watched the waves come to shore and recede back into the sea. He was about to get even more comfortable and lie down on the sand when he saw something breach the surface. At first he couldn't believe what he had seen, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, but then realize there was a person in the water. They hadn't been there a second ago, maybe they needed help! They could have been in a similar situation to him when he was a kid. Keith stood up and ran into the water, going to help the person.

"Hey! Are you okay?!" Keith shouted as he dove into the waves.

Lance was shocked when he realized a person was swimming at him. Looking at him, he saw the marking that the boy he saved had and smiled as he swam towards him. "H-Hi!"

Keith paused when he saw the gills on the other man's neck. His face paled and he tried to back paddle away from Lance. "What the hell are you?!"

"Don't be afraid! I'm Lance, I'm a merman, and I saved you when we were younger, I think. Seven years ago?" Lance yelled back in a panic, trying to keep calm. The key word is 'trying'.

Keith was thrown for another loop in the midst of his freak out. "You saved me? You saved me? A merman saved me?" He ran his fingers through his own hair. Keith felt himself light-headed.

"Yea. I thought I established that by existing." Lance said, almost laughing at the other's stressed out state.

"Mermaids are real…" Keith said as he felt his vision narrowing and blackening. Yeah, he fainted.

"Oh shoot!" Lance grabbed Keith and dragged him back to the shore. "Thank you…" He said smiling as he returned to the others.

"So?" Hunk and Pidge asked in unison, but telling by his expression and the fact they saw someone other than Lance with legs in the water.

"I'm happy. We can go now. I saw him again, and he's good…" Lance said with a content sigh.

"Come on. We should get you back to Luxia… Congratulations." Hunk offered as they turned back.


	4. Was It a Dream? ---'Til Death Do Us Part

When he awoke, Keith was severely confused. He could have sworn he had just dived in to save someone… Then he blacked out and dreamed about a merman. It was strange and felt like a lucid dream. Or had it? If he had really blacked out while swimming out to save the mystery person, he would have most likely drowned, not managed to be lying back up on the shore, certainly not flat on his back like he was. It seemed like it had been hours later when he finally came to.

Shiro had come down to the cove and found that Keith was sopping wet and staring out at the ocean with nearly closed eyes. He cleared his throat to make his presence known before speaking. "Am I going to have to watch you each time you come down here, Keith?" Shiro asked, a mixture of humor and concern in his voice.

The younger of the two jumped when he spoke, standing quickly and shaking his head. "No! I-I… I just went for a swim…"

"In your clothes?"

"Yes!"

Shiro smirked. "What? Uncomfortable in your own skin?" He crossed his arms, amused.

"Shiro!" The boy's face was red in a mixture of embarrassment and anger. "I thought I saw someone out there! I didn't know if they were going to drown!"

"Oh really? Where are they now if you saved them?"

Keith looked away from him as he spoke. "Well… I kind of blacked out in the water."

"So I should get someone to watch you from now on?"

"No!" Keith sighed and looked out at the sea. "Shiro? Do you believe in mermaids?"

If he didn't recognize how serious Keith was being right now, he would have laughed. "Mermaids? Keith, I don't believe in them, but why are you asking?"

"You know what? Nevermind. I must've just been tired from training today and passed out. How about we just go and get something to eat." He must have sounded insane to Shiro. Keith smacked himself mentally over and over because of his stupid question.

Picking up on the social cues, Shiro nodded and wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders. "Sure. It'll be my treat."

Lance had felt two completely different emotions swell within him that day. He was a thousand times beyond happy when he saw that the boy was alive and well; it had been something that he had looked forward to since the day he dragged Keith from the ocean and onto the shore. On the other hand, Lance didn't really want to marry Luxia; he didn't love her, and he didn't want to be taken away from everything he grew up with and loved. (Plus, he may or may not have also had feeling for a certain human he just saw again.) Pidge and Hunk swam closely behind Lance, so they could catch him and make sure he attended the ceremony and actually got married.

Arriving back at their home village, Lance was quickly ushered to get ready for the wedding and sent to go to wait in his position. Luxia swam down the aisle and took Lance's hands with a loving look in her eyes. ' _Fake.'_ Lance thought, but smiled back at her anyways. He had to keep reminding himself that this wasn't a marriage that was taking place for love; he was marrying her to keep peace between rivaling villages. She stared into his eyes throughout the whole ceremony, making him uncomfortable. Once the ceremony was said and done, he bid his family goodbye. Luckily, he was allowed to bring two of his friends, which were immediately decided. It would be the next day that Lance would leave his home for good.

Hunk, swimming by Lance's side as they left, sighed. "It's not that bad… You've still got us." He smiled, trying to alleviate Lance's homesickness and sorrows.

"Sure. Yeah. Great." Lance moped.

"You know, you could be going completely by yourself, Lance. That would be much worse than having at least two familiar faces to be with you." Pidge said, trying to be logical while also scolding him.

Luxia swam up behind him, grabbing him and hugging Lance, making the boy shriek a little and squirm. "Love! There's no need to be so blue. We'll be back at my city soon enough. You'll love it there."

Clearing his throat and trying to sound happy, Lance turned and held her in his arms. "Luxia! I-I'm not blue! I-I'm overjoyed to be with you!" He chuckled nervously.

A few of Luxia's guards were staring at Lance and his new wife until she brushed them off. "No need to worry, Lance. Things are going to get much better, especially tonight."

Lance's face heated up, as did Hunk and Pidge's. "Wh-What's going to happen tonight?" He swallowed hard.

She chuckled, looking at her new husband with a seductive grin. "Oh, you know what we're going to do, don't you?" She smirked and ran her hand up and down Lance's back sensually.

"O-of course! You're my wife now! It's all I've been thinking about!" He said, trying to recover from the awkwardness.

Pidge and Hunk were now making disgusted faces at each other and cringing just thinking about what the newlyweds were going to do. They couldn't help but feel bad for him though; normally Lance was the one flirting, not being flirted with, and the whole experience was uncomfortable for everyone.


	5. Restless Nights

Misery and agony. Those were the only two words that Lance could possibly imagine to describe his feelings as of this moment. He laid back on the bed with his new wife, looking at the ceiling and regretting ever agreeing to this civil marriage. A part of him had been taken from him, his innocence stolen by this woman. His chest ached as tears began welling in his eyes. The merman quickly checked that Luxia had been asleep, so he could finally relieve all this stress he'd been experiencing, but the woman had a vice grip on the younger merperson.

Hatred. This was what Lance was feeling. Hatred for Luxia. Hatred towards her people and their knack for violence. Hatred for this whole situation. Hatred, especially, for the fact he would now surely not see the boy, that he's saved twice now, ever again. The pain is his chest throbbed and felt as though it were constricting all of his insides. Lance could hardly breathe. He wished he wasn't. Any other fate would have been preferable to this. He sucked in a breath as he attempted to remain silent in the confines of the bed and bedroom.

Praying and wishing. That was what Lance felt was all he could do and rely on as a last resort. He prayed and wished for peace between the kingdoms, for his freedom, for this marriage to end, for the boy from the land. Each time he tried to change his thoughts from the bot, he always slithered his way back into his mind.

That night, Lance would not get any rest, but he was not the only one having difficulties sleeping that night.

Shiro had thoroughly made fun of the younger boy for going swimming in his britches, however, it didn't concern Keith for too long. He was used to his superior's tender and joking nature towards him, as they had basically grown up together. Today had been different, though. He was completely out of it, in a daze of sorts as he tried to remember each and every detail of his two encounters with the mermaid. Even as he returned to the training grounds he was distracted; it was prevalent in his fighting… meaning he got his ass handed to him as he was off of his A-game. As Keith dragged his bruised body off of the training grounds, Shiro confronted him.

"Nice training today, Keith." The commanding officer said, his voice laden with sarcasm.

The younger man rolled his eyes. "I can't stop thinking about what happened earlier today. It couldn't have just been a coincidence…"

"What 'couldn't have just been a coincidence'? Keith… You're honestly worrying me now. You looked like you had swallowed more sea water than you could handle down by the shore." Shiro laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

A smirk appeared on Keith's face. "I'm pretty sure I had. I think I might've been seeing things and nearly drowned because of it." He chuckled, trying to play off the fact he had just admitted that his actions earlier that day could have been his end.

Shiro gave him a skeptical look, however, he decided to leave it be. "Allow yourself to rest for the next few days, alright Keith? I really wouldn't like to have you have an early burial at see."

With a nod, Keith left Shiro's presence, heading back to his private quarters.

Once he had arrived at his home, Keith removed his training clothes and began to dress the wounds he had gotten from his earlier carelessness. He looked at the purple and brown markings on his skin with disdain and frustration as he furiously wrapped them in white cloth to provide cushion so that he may sleep peacefully. Sleep did not come; his thoughts were all consumed by what he had witnessed today and all those years ago. Keith would spend all night and the early hours of the morning staring at his roof, contemplating the encounters and whether or not they had been real.


	6. Out of My Mind --- What Has to Be Done?

"I'm going crazy." This is what Keith thought for weeks on end after his encounter with the mermaid. He couldn't think that it was real; there was no way. Yet, somewhere inside him, Keith knew that it was all real, but what was he supposed to do with this information now? The person he trusted the most had straight up told him that mermaids weren't real, so he was out. There wasn't really anyone else he trusted anyways in the guard, so Keith found himself often retreating into his mind to try and make sense of what had happened.

Shiro could see that Keith wasn't acting right ever since that day, and it worried him. After all, Keith was one of the top guards and he had taken care of him since he was a boy. To say he was invested would be an understatement; this was practically his little brother that he had to watch socially deteriorate like this. Two weeks after the incident, he finally confronted Keith again about his strange behavior after a long day of training and sparring.

"Keith? Can we talk for a moment?" Shiro asked, placing a hand on Keith's shoulder firmly, causing the boy to jump a bit in surprise.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine." Keith quickly dismissed. It took a lot of self control for him not to sigh out of frustration.

"I didn't ask you anything yet." Takashi withdrew his hand before crossing his arms and blocking Keith's path. "You've been acting strange lately. Does it have anything to do with what happened when you fell into the water?"

Keith huffed in response. "First, I didn't fall in. I swam. Second, it kind of does, but you wouldn't believe me even if I told you. You'd think I've lost my mind because of it."

Shiro seemed confused before finally understanding. "A mermaid? Is that what this is about?"

"YES!" Keith blurted out. "OF COURSE THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT!"

The older of the two was taken aback for a moment before finally composing a reply. "I-I didn't know you were so upset about this. I just thought-"

"Thought they weren't real and that I was crazy."

"…thought you were embarrassed about nearly drowning. Maybe you're taking this a little too far…" Shiro reached out to place his hand back on Keith's shoulder, but the younger guard quickly dodged the contact.

"I know what I saw! Or at least I do? Anyways, it's not too far! I thought you would be there to support and help me, Shiro! I thought of you as family." Keith was fuming.

"Keith-" Shiro began.

"No! Just- Just leave me alone, Takashi!" And with that, he stormed off.

Shiro sighed as he dragged his hand down his face. He hadn't meant to upset the boy so much, but fantasy creatures? That's a bit too much. He was probably under too much stress lately. He thought about consulting the princess. Hopefully, Allura would have some helpful advice concerning the situation.

Lance's days weren't going any better. He had been married for two weeks already and still felt nothing for his wife. He had slept wither, in more ways than one, but it was all meaningless. These were merely husbandly duties that he was required to fulfill, especially the fact that they were expected to produce an heir as soon as possible. Soon, Lance would receive news that produced a mixed reaction within him.

"I am with child!" Luxia proclaimed excitedly.

Lance's world felt as if it were falling apart at the seams. "Wh-what?" He tried his best to hide the trembling in his voice.

"We're going to have a baby!" She was beaming, proud of their… work… together.

He quickly nodded. "That's fantastic! I-I have to tell everyone!" Lance swam away as fast as he could until he finally met up with Hunk and Pidge. The two were in shock when they saw him. Lance was pale and panicking as he approached them. "I can't do this!"

Hunk gently put his hands on Lance's shoulders. "Woah, buddy! Deep breaths, Lance. You can't do what?"

"I can't have kids! Not now!" Lance was shaking.

Pidge and Hunk awkwardly looked at each other. "So… I'm assuming that you and Luxia are going to start a family?" She said as she shrugged and patted Lance's back.

Lance tried to hide the shaking sob that escaped him. The key word was tried. He was shuddering and holding on tightly to Hunk. "I-I can't! I didn't think it go this far!"

"What did you think marriage meant?!" Pidge asked incredulously.

Hunk shot her a slight glare as he tried to calm down the crying merman in his arms. "I… It'll be okay. I mean, it could be a good thing?"

"How?!" He yelled back. "First I fall in love with this human! Then I get married to a woman I don't love, and now I'm basically trapped with her!"

"WHAT?!" Both Hunk and Pidge shouted.

"You love him?!"

"You know that's not allowed! Humans and mermaids can't be together! It's against the law!"

Lance growled in response. "I know! I know it's not allowed!" He sighed and tried to console himself, backing away from Hunk and Pidge.

Unbeknownst to them, someone else was listening to their conversation just out of sight. As Lance swam away from them, a shadowy figure in a hood swam up behind him and pulled him to the side, covering his mouth and getting uncomfortably close to his face. "I can give you what you want." Lance began struggling even more and screamed against the person's hand. "Hush! You love that human, am I right?" Lance nodded. "And would do anything to be with him?" He nodded again. "Good." The figure removed their hand from Lance's mouth. "Now that you've settled, I'm willing to make a deal with you."

"What's it gonna take?"

The figure chuckled. "Aren't you eager? I have this potion for your wife… I heard that you're expecting. Congratulations."

Lance scowled slightly. "What's that to you?"

"I have something that's going to make it better for the both of you."

He eyed the mysterious figure. "How?"

"That's for me to know, and you to do."

Lance thought for a moment. "This doesn't seem right."

"And the rest of your marriage does?"

They had a point. Lance cleared his throat. "What has to be done?"

"You just meet me at my grotto, and everything will be explained." The figure began to swim away.

"You never told me your name!" Lance hollered at them.

The figure turned, removing their cloak and revealing a woman with a scarred and torn up tail. "You may call me Haggar." And with that, the figure left.


	7. Advice and Comfort

The gates of Altea's palace were pearly white with adornments of blue and gold, a welcome sight and a beacon of hope and guidance in this region. Shiro approached hesitantly as he thought of what to say to the princess, after all, she was busy, and had a lot of other things to attend to, and was probably in a lot of meetings, and- he was already at the throne room, just staring at the princess. She cleared her throat, snapping him out of his trance.

"Is there something you needed, Takashi? Or did you just want to keep my company?" Allura smiled at him.

"Y-yes, your highness!" _Smooth Shiro._ He looked away and coughed. "I have been having some issues with Keith."

"Keith? But isn't he-"

"One of my best men? Usually, yes. But lately he has been… distant? He believes he saw a mermaid or something like that."

"Mermaids, really?" She questioned.

"That's what I said! I don't know what's gotten into him, but he's not acting right."

"Did you ask him about it?" Shiro gave her a blank look. "Of course you did. Honestly, mermaids are a part of many island's history and legends. Even Altea has some stories and myths rooted here about them. They all had to come from somewhere."

"What exactly are you saying, Princess?"

"Maybe he really did see a mermaid." She shrugged. "Who knows? No one else was there with him when he claims he saw it."

"But no one else has reported-"

"No one that you know of, Takashi. And besides, what's wrong with a bit of whimsicality in life? It's better than constantly being on the look out for pirates and thieves."

Shiro sighed. "Well, thank you for the change of perspective, your highness. I'll see if I can talk things through with him." He bowed to Allura before turning to leave.

"And Shiro?" He turned back to face her. "Just listen to him. He could just need to have someone who'll just hear him out." With a nod, Shiro left the princess's presence as well as the castle and looked for his younger ward. _Just hear him out, Shiro._

Keith was staring out at the ocean from the beach with an empty expression on his face. _It had to be real. It just had to be. It had been twice that this had happened._ He was getting ready to head back to his quarters as he saw Shiro. "Are you here to tell me that I shouldn't be a part of the crew anymore?"

Shiro placed his hand on Keith's shoulder. "Keith… You know I'd never do that. I spoke to Allura about-"

"You told the princess?! She's going to think I'm insane now! Why would you even do that, Takashi?!"

"Breath for a second. It's fine. I just wanted to see how she'd handle it." Shiro sat himself down on the sand, hoping Keith would do the same. "Did you know that mermaids are a big part of island history and mythology? Allura told me about it. She said that because it's so popular, there's a possibility they can be real."

"And you're telling me this because?" Keith looked at Shiro as if he were crazy.

"What's the look for? You're the one that saw one." Keith began to walk away. "Just so you know, I'm always here if you need to talk."

Lance sat in his and Luxia's bedroom, thinking of his encounter with Haggar. It was obviously dangerous to go to her grotto, and what was she even planning? She mentioned Luxia's announcement of them expecting a child together. Was Haggar planning to hurt the baby? If so, he couldn't just allow her to have it her way… or could he? If it was like a poison or something, someone else could easily be blamed, or he could say it was his fault due to family traits, but if they separated, would it break the peace between the tribes?

He needed someone to confide in, so he went and sought out Hunk. Of course, the older merman was around food… and actually scolding Luxia's staff? Had he just entered another reality or something? "- AND YOU SHOULD NEVER SERVE SEAWEED _AND_ KELP IN THE SAME DISH! IT'S OVERKILL WITH BRINE AND SLIMEY TEXTURE!" The cooks cowered and fled as Hunk booming voice echoed off of the walls of the meal prep area. Lance found himself chuckling slightly as he went up to his friend. "They know NOTHING about good food here! No wonder they're always attacking other villages! Their food sucks!" Hunk took a deep breath as he calmed down from his slight fit. "This is the happiest you've been since we got here, Lance… What's up?"

"Oh… I was laughing because of you taking control in the kitchen and scaring the carp out of Luxia's goonies over food." He was laughing harder now.

"It's nice to see you smile, buddy. What brings you here, though?" Hunk crossed his arms as he watched Lance closely.

"If you had the chance to possibly have things go back to the way they were, would you take it?" Lance looked down, unsure of himself. 

Hunk looked confused. "And how would this be possible? I mean, like it or not, you're going to be a dad. How do you just undo that? How would you?" He had deep concern for his friend.

"This lady came to me telling me she could."

"A random lady? Now I know that you're a player sometimes with the girls, and that they love you, but that sounds like a threat to, I don't know, maybe your wife?"

"I know! I know, Hunk. It's probably not the best idea, but I can't do this." He looked at his friend. "I'm too young to be a dad! What if I mess up?! I don't even love Luxia! I don't want to have this kid not be loved by their parent!" Lance slightly swayed as he was becoming overwhelmed with all of these concerns.

Hunk held Lance in place. "But this woman could destroy everything we've all worked for… Not as much as you, of course, but still… This could send us back into war…"

Lance shook his head to try and clear his thoughts. "You're right I shouldn't be this selfish-"

Hunk covered Lance's mouth with his hand. "You didn't let me finish, Lance. However, if you want to go through with this, I won't stop you, but personally, I'm worried about the consequences."

"Thanks, Hunk."

"And if you want someone to go with you, I guess I'll go with you. It sounds pretty dodgy."

Lance hugged his friend and hid his face in his shoulder, muttering out a muffled "thank you" again.


End file.
